Raids at Sangli Mayor's house in connection with lavish wedding of his son

Mumbai: After a minister in Maharashtra, the Mayor of Sangli-Miraj too has come under the scanner of tax authorities for the lavish wedding of his son.

Service Tax Department sleuths on Wednesday conducted an inquiry at the residence of Idris Naikwadi, Mayor of Sangli-Miraj and Kupwad Municipal Corporation in western Maharashtra, in connection with the extravagant wedding of his son recently, sources said.

When contacted, Mr Naikwadi confirmed the development.

"Yes, Service Tax officials conducted inquiry at my residence," he told PTI over phone from Sangli, around 350 km from Mumbai. He did not provide further details.

Income-Tax department had on Monday conducted searches at the premises of NCP leader and Minister of State for Urban Development Bhaskar Jadhav over extravagant weddings of his two children at a time when the state is battling severe drought.

The department is gathering information about the huge expenses incurred during the elaborate weddings of Jadhav's son and daughter in Chiplun, Ratnagiri district, on February 13. Yesterday, the Service Tax Department personnel carried out search operations on the premises of decorators who had spruced up the wedding venue.